Russian attack submarines have twice carried out missions in the Irish Sea since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, forcing the British military to take measures to protect territorial waters. Bloomberg reported this with reference to knowledgeable sources, UNN reported .
Details
According to sources, the first deployment of a Russian Kilo-class submarine near the Irish Sea, which separates the island of Ireland from the United Kingdom, took place about 18 months ago. The second incident occurred recently. They emphasized that the scale of submarine movements went beyond what Britain had previously seen.
It is noted that US officials were aware of the submarine movement. The British Ministry of Defense noted that it "does not comment on operations". A senior official in the administration of US President Joe Biden said that the United States is monitoring the activities of the Russian fleet. White House officials declined to comment on the latest reports.
Russians keep their submarines, in fact – in a semi-submerged position-Pletenchuk6/2/24, 1:09 PM
According to the newspaper's sources, Russia's deployment of submarines around Britain and Ireland may be an attempt to identify potential weaknesses in defense or an attempt to intimidate the British in response to their support for Ukraine.
The presence of Russian submarines in the waters surrounding Britain and western Ireland during the war in Ukraine was already known, although it was not previously reported that they were headed for the Irish Sea. In 2023, the Irish media reported that a British helicopter and warship chased a Russian submarine outside Cork harbor in southwestern Ireland because the Irish military did not have the capabilities to counter underwater threats.